Suiting Up... in My Dharma Initiative Jumpsuit on "Lost"

With "Lost" reaching it midseason point, the episode "LaFleur" became a game-changer in the series. Taking a break from the action-driven plots of the first seven episodes, "LaFleur" focused equally on Sawyer, the concept of leadership and love. After viewing Locke once again turning the frozen donkey wheel (but interestingly enough, sans Christian in the shot), the remaining Losties are finally fixed in time. Unfortunately for them, the time they now inhabit is 1974. As Daniel states, "the record is no longer skipping, but we are now on the wrong song." Though the episode seems almost self-contained (for "Lost"), the implications of the Losties stuck in 1974 (and three years later in 1977) will be felt directly for the rest of the show's run.

Most importantly in the Losties being stuck in 1974-1977 is that once Flight 316 crashes, there are now two Ben Linuses running around, his possibly 11-year old self and the current version. As Ben has seemingly known everything that will happen throughout the show, it is not difficult to make the connection now why he knows the "future." Though Daniel states early on in the episode that "it doesn't matter what we do. Whatever happened, happened" it now seems that there is a great deal of course correction going on, especially throughout this episode (most likely caused by Locke not initially turning the wheel and all of the Oceanic Six not returning).

Even with this Egyptian-resembling look, I'm still sticking to my "the Island is Atlantis" theory!

After viewing the now-standing four-toed statue, which seems to be of Egyptian origin (and was really poorly rendered special effects-wise), Sawyer begins to prove himself as a strong leader. The dialogue between Juliet and Sawyer, after his decision to go back to the beach, was priceless and foreshadowed their soon-to-be pairing.

In the episode, Sawyer basically saves a woman, keeps the Losties on the island after Horace tells them they will be leaving on the submarine the following morning, negotiates with a swaggering Richard (and disses his eyeliner), saves a baby (possibly Karl?) and gives his new woman Juliet a flower (swoon). And this leaves out his conversation with Horace, centering on his ability to get over Kate (which the final shot proves that he kind of didn't). Of course, the major unanswered question of the episode is why the two week extension Horace originally granted Sawyer turned into three years?

Ladies love flowers and Dharma Initiative Merlot!

What is interesting about the three years that the Losties spent on the Island and the three years that the Oceanic Six spent off the Island is how polar opposite the experiences and outcomes were for each party. As everyone's life off-Island basically fell apart, the remaining Losties seem to have built a good life (and all get to rock the Dharma Initiative jumpsuit). Sawyer and Juliet are happy (Juliet said that she would leave in two weeks but never did), Miles and Sawyer seem to have a new-found friendship, Jin has learned English and Sawyer has become the "leader" that he never could be with Jack on the Island. The only wild card is Daniel, who was not viewed in 1977, though his intimate knowledge of the Island's workings is now apparent (but may have been viewed earlier in the season in this time period while drilling for the donkey wheel). And interesting scene was the possible sight of a young Charlotte: as Ben said Charlotte was born in 1979, the young Charlotte would not have even been born yet (and is possible sign of some major course correction going on?).

"Who me? Yep, I am so over Freckles!"

Because of a few examples of course correction sprinkled throughout the episode, "Lost" is setting up an interesting conundrum: will the Losties continue to relive their time on the Island and presumably when they return to the "present" time everything will be slightly different. Thus, Ben's words of "you are not supposed to do that" will take on the significance that I have thought it had since the first time I heard him utter those words? And if so, was that why the Losties have been placed in 1974/1977, as course correction to get whatever "right?" The significance, though not evident yet, of placing the Losties (and the soon-to-be discovered Oceanic Six) back so far in the timeline is important as this is before the Purge. And the time-shift also serves to amplify Horace appearing to Locke, building the cabin (way back in "Cabin Fever"). With his nose bleeding in this episode 12 years after dying, does this point out that the Island will be moved again? And will the 1977 Flight 316ers turn into the "present" day Others? So many questions asked in what seems like an innocuous episode, the episode almost resembles a season finale of the series: with everything drastically changed, is this where the end of "Lost" truly begins?